Egypt: 70 killed in violent weekend protests

Sunday

Jul 28, 2013 at 2:07 AMJul 28, 2013 at 2:38 AM

CAIRO — Deadly clashes broke out during funerals of slain supporters of Egypt's ousted Islamist president Sunday, as the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood urged his supporters to stand fast after more than 70 of them were killed in weekend violence.

CAIRO — Deadly clashes broke out during funerals of slain supporters of Egypt’s ousted Islamist president Sunday, as the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood urged his supporters to stand fast after more than 70 of them were killed in weekend violence.

Setting the stage for more confrontation, the military-installed interim president gave the prime minister the power to grant the military the right to arrest civilians in what government officials said could be a prelude to a major crackdown on Mohammed Morsi’s supporters or Islamic militants who have stepped up attacks against security forces in the Sinai Peninsula.

The extent of the bloodshed has dashed hopes of reconciliation between the country’s two camps, sharply divided over the July 3 military coup that removed Egypt’s first freely elected president following protests by millions of Egyptians demanding he step down.

Islamists staunchly reject the new leadership and insist the only possible solution to the crisis is to reinstate Morsi. Meanwhile, the interim leadership is pushing ahead with a fast-track transition plan to return to a democratically elected government by early next year.

Egypt’s interior minister, who is in charge of the police, also pledged to deal decisively with any attempts to destabilize the country, a thinly veiled warning to Morsi supporters occupying two squares in Cairo in a monthlong stand-off with security forces.

The international community, meanwhile, urged restraint.

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Judge questions train driver

over Spain crash

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, Spain — The driver of a Spanish train that derailed at high speed was being questioned by a judge on Sunday as officials tried to determine if he was responsible for the accident, which killed 79 people.

Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, 52, has been held by police on suspicion of negligent homicide. He has not been formally charged by a magistrate or made any official statements.

However, minutes after the crash Garzon said that he had been going fast and couldn’t brake, a local resident who rushed to the scene of the accident said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

The resident, Evaristo Iglesias, said he and another person accompanied the blood-soaked Garzon to flat ground where other injured people were being laid out, waiting for emergency services to arrive.

“He told us that he wanted to die,” Iglesias told Antena 3 television. “He said he had needed to brake but couldn’t,” Iglesias said.

He added that Garzon said “he had been going fast.”

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Israel to free

104 Palestinian

prisoners

JERUSALEM — Israel’s Cabinet approved the release of 104 long-held Palestinian prisoners Sunday, clearing a hurdle toward a possible resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks after five years of paralysis.

The prisoner release is part of a push by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to bring the two sides back to the table. Sunday’s 13-7 vote, with two abstentions, marks his first visible achievement after six months of shuttle diplomacy.

As a next step, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are set to hold preliminary talks in Washington on Tuesday, to be followed by up to nine months of negotiations on a peace deal.

The fate of Palestinian prisoners is emotionally charged for both sides. Palestinians tend to view prisoners as heroes who made sacrifices in the struggle for independence. Most Israelis view them as cold-blooded terrorists.

The Cabinet approved the release in principle of the 104 prisoners, said a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations.

Under the deal brokered by Kerry, the prisoners would be freed in four stages over several months. Each step would be linked to progress in negotiations.

According to a list provided by the Palestinians, the prisoners have served between 19 and 30 years for involvement in deadly attacks on Israelis. Their release would go a long way toward giving Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a popular mandate to resume negotiations with Israel, despite widespread skepticism on both sides after 20 years of intermittent talks that produced no results.

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